Creep feeding can be an excellent tool for improving the overall weaning weight of your calves. Thus, it can be a good management and economical option for improving your bottom line.
There are many factors to consider when looking at creep feeding, such as calf prices, the price of the feed itself, and the labor you are able to commit to it. Since this is not a one-and-done type of thing, it is something that you will have to look at every year. This reason is because the factors involved, such as market prices, will change from one year to the next.
It is essential to look at the factors that will matter to you because, like many other things that are involved with raising beef cattle, it is not a blanket option. What works for one operation will not always work for another.
So, what are the options that you should look at when deciding to start creep feeding? Here are some things you can look at to determine if it is right for you.
What is creep feeding?
Creep feeding is providing a highly digestible supplement specifically for beef calves. This supplement can come in the form of a pellet feed or just in a ground-up form. The critical thing here is that it is provided in a way that the older cows cannot get to it.
This exclusion is done by putting it in a feeder with a cage around it with an opening only a couple of feet wide. Hence, the smaller calves are the only ones that can get to it. As with any supplement, you will want to place the feeder near where they congregate, such as a water source or loafing area.
As calves reach weaning age, their nutritional requirements will also increase. They will need to consume more nutritionally rich foods to meet their growth demands. The problem with this is that usually, during this time, their mother’s milking ability and the quality of the forages will go down. So, in order to fill the nutrition gaps, providing a creep feed may be necessary.
Do not think that creep feeding only benefits the calf; it can also help the mother. With the calf getting its nutrition elsewhere, there will also be less of an energy demand on her. With this lower demand, she can utilize the feed she consumes to do things like putting weight back on to prepare for the breeding season.
Here are some pros and cons associated with creep feeding:
Pros
- Increase of 30-60 lbs. per calf at weaning
- Increased financial gain per calf
- Increased availability of forages for cow consumption
- Improved BCS of the momma cows
- More uniformed calf crop
- Reduced weaning stress
Cons
- It may not be economical
- Can impair milk production of young replacement heifers
- Interferes with the selection of cows for milk production
- It can be not easy in remote areas
- Impossible with companion grazers such as sheep and goats
If you would like to read more about the pros and cons of creep feeding, I go into more detail in a previous article, “Pros and Cons of Creep Feeding”.
Considerations for Creep Feeding
One of the main things to look at before deciding to do this is the overall condition of your pastures. Creep feeding has been shown to be most beneficial when pasture conditions are poor. In those conditions, average feed conversion has been shown to be 4-6:1 or 4 to 6 lbs. of creep feed for 1 pound of gain. If the pasture conditions are excellent, then the average feed conversion drops to 14-18:1.
Another thing to consider is the time of year you will put this feed out. There have been many studies that have shown the benefit of providing creep feed 60 days before weaning. Doing this gives the calves time to get used to eating out of a bunk and will make weaning less stressful for them. It will also benefit them if they are put in a feedlot situation after because they will already know how to find food.
Ultimately, you will have to decide if the cost of creep feeding will provide you with more profit. Speaking of determining if it will be profitable for you…
Will it be profitable?
Now, we will get a little bit into the nuts and bolts of making this choice. When you are calculating the cost of creep feeding, there are some more things to consider than just the cost of the feed.
When looking at the total costs, you will also need to include the depreciation of the equipment that will be used and the cost of delivery. Since you do not want to work for free, you must include the labor costs associated with doing this.
Now that you have the overall cost of doing this, you will need to look at whether it will be lower than the expected revenue that you will be getting for those calves. If you are unsure how to do this, may I suggest going to Beef Basis. It is a website that will allow you to predict the price you will get at sale time.
The price slide is another financial term to consider when comparing profit and cost. There is a noticeable difference between creep-fed calves and non-creep calves. The creep-fed calves may fetch a higher price overall. However, on a $/lbs. basis, they will be lower than the non-creep-fed.
Example
Let us say that you are looking to sell some calves that are in 2 different groups that you are thinking of creep feeding. In the first group, you decide not to, and they come out to be in the 550lbs area. For the second group, you do creep feed to the tune of putting on an extra 60 lbs to bring them up to the 610 lbs region.
The 550-pound steers may be worth $1.10 per pound, and the creep-fed one could be $1.05. Now, initially, it may seem not to be worth it, but let’s finish the math up first. The 550lbs one would be worth $605 (550x $1.10/pound), and the creep-fed ones would generate $641 (619x $1.05). The additional 60 pounds of the gain would make an extra $36 or $0.60 per pound of gain. This extra would mean that whatever creep feed you use could be, at most, $0.60 to add 1 pound of gain.
In this example, we will be using a feed conversion of 6 lbs of feed per 1 lb of gain. (This is not set in stone; it is just what I am using to make a point.) If we have a feed price of $120 per ton, that would equal $0.36 per pound of added gain. So, by this figure, it would be profitable to creep feed.
What types to use
Now that we have crunched the numbers and you have decided that creep feeding is for you let’s look at options. There are many different options that you can choose from.
Creep feed generally falls into two specific categories:
- Grain: feeds such as corn, barley, and oats
- Forage: such as alfalfa and regular hay
Now, both of these types of feed will include some salt in the mix. The amount of salt you will use will depend on whether you want to increase or decrease the overall consumption.
Regardless of your type, the rations will contain between 13%-16% crude protein. You will want to look at the gaps you need to fill to determine which one will be best for you.
If you are capable and have the equipment, mixing your creep feed may be more economical. What people typically do with this is mix a couple of grains, such as corn and oats, along with a type of mineral mix into a grinder/mixer. With this option, you will need to include the price of the mixer if you buy it new. Or the depreciation of it when determining the overall profitability of creep feeding.
